In order to succeed in anything in life you have to first believe in your ability to do it. Not think that you can do it but KNOW that you can do it.

I think this is a big element of peoples failure when it comes to weight loss. I know as an obese (well these days its just overweight )woman that your self esteem takes a big hit when you feel uncomfortable in your skin. No one really likes to admit thats true, I mean its whats on the inside that counts correct? Whats on the inside IS what matters but anyone who thinks that no judgment is past on the exterior package is a fool. Human nature at its simplest.

We are raised in a world that teaches woman about being beautiful and looking a certain way. Todays generation may have the benefits of great programs like the Dove self esteem program but I still believe that deep down its rooted in us.

When you don’t have confidence in yourself it is very hard to build yourself up enough to KNOW that you can do something. To BELIEVE in yourself and what you want. This is an important key to changing your life and with the weight loss new found confidence comes.

So first you need to believe in yourself, you need to build yourself up to a point that you know you can do anything you want. Most things in life can be accomplished with the proper mindset and this is no different. So take the time to think about this.

Write out a list of reasons you wish you should get that weight off. Make a list of reasons why you should just not.

Look at this list again, again and again. How many reasons on the not side really count when you are honest with yourself?

Now write out a wish list for your future.

Ill share mine with you……..

I wish I liked my reflection

I wish I didn’t feel like people are judging me by my weight

I wish my mom would shut up about me being fat

I wish I felt sexy

I wish I could shop at normal stores

I wish I could run and play with my kids without being winded

I wish I could have independence and drive

I wish I set a positive example for my children

Now rewrite that list as follows

I will like my reflection

I will know that if someones judging me by my weight its in a good way

I will enjoy shutting my mom up

I do feel sexy

I do shop in normal stores

I do play with my kids without feeling winded

I do drive myself to the gym

I do set positive examples for my children in how I life my life

I will tell you that after loosing 50lbs of my 100lb goal I am well on my way to making that latter list true.

Faith in yourself is the key. Surround yourself with people who will build you up and help you feel and remain positive about what you are doing. Those who have nothing to offer in a positive or neutral stance just ignore. Its as easy as that. No excuses, get yourself to this point, to this mindset and you have found your day 1. I’m at day 353 so its along journey but we all need a day 1 right?

Ok we all know that cookies are yummy right? and if its yummy then its very bad for you right?

WRONG

I have spent my morning making some very yummy cookies that are actually not too bad considering that they are what they are. So today I am going to share a recipe with you! This recipe can be found in an amazing book called The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno. I did alter it a little to lighten the calorie load.

Breakfast Fruit and Nut Cookies

1 cup brown sugar (I used brown splenda so you use only

1/2 cup of this)

1/2 cup of Olivina or light oil

6 egg whites

1/2 cup of finely chopped figs

1/2 cup of dried cranberries

2tsp of vanilla

2 cups of all purpose flour (I used one cup here)

1 cup of whole wheat flour (I used 2 cups here)

1 cup of bran flakes

4 tbsp of ground flax seed

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnimon

1/2tsp all spice

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine the sugar, Olivina and eggs in a bowl. Stir in vanilla, figs and cranberrys

In another bowl mix all the other ingrediants.

Add the dry and wet together and blend.

Drop 1 tbsp per cookie onto the tray lined with parchment paper (or use a silicone mat) and bake for 12 minutes.

Should make about 30 cookies.

Recipe book says the following for nutricinal values(but they say it will make 24 cookies not 30:

Im thinking out loud here so bear with me! This recipe says it makes 24 cookies at 154 cal each. So the total batch equals a whopping 3696 calories. I made 30 cookies so that would make them 122 calories each.

384 calories are in a 1/2 cup of Splenda Brown Sugar blend instead of 830 in a cup of normal brown sugar which is a big differance of 446 calories saved!

So I figure that if you used my recipe you’d be looking at 30 cookies again. The brown 3696 for 24 normal cookies or 30 cookies at 122 cal each

The normal recipe gives you 34.5 calories from brown sugar. If you switch to Splenda you have 12.8 calories per cookie

I was recently asked how I do this? work daily toward my goal? I was originally going to reply to the message directly but decided to write the answer here in hopes that it might help someone else too.

The biggest thing is to really want it. My 3 kids and husband eat all sorts of crap and I understand how hard it is to have it in the house. I also understand that I can modify some of their eating habits but cant expect total change from them either. You have to learn that just because it is there you don’t have to eat it.

I don’t find it too bad because I have a plan that I am determined to meet. (I know that reading that statement may cause feelings of hatred and the need to bash me in the face with a cast iron frying pan)

How did I manage to do this? how can I watch them eat chicken wings and fries when I don’t?
For me I had to hit rock bottom and truly admit about how I felt about myself. I was 248 lbs when I started and was gaining at a slow but steady rate each year. I told myself that I was better off than my other friends who seemed to always be drooling over the desert menus on a night out for dinner, then never ordering. I meanwhile would never hesitate to get whatever I wanted. I was the wise one I thought. I am eating what I want to eat, I am enjoying my life.

Do you see that??

It took me a long time to see it. The words jump out at me now and I see them as if they are in large font and Italic bold print. I am enjoying my life. Really? Food is not a definition of describing life.

Admitting the truth

You would think that admitting the truth to yourself would be easy but it’s often not. I mean how the hell do you lie to yourself right?

Well we do it all the time. It took an entirely messy drunkfest at a party full of people 1/2 my age who had had no babies, flat bellies and shiny new high school diplomas to trigger mine. It was not my most dignified moment but it was one that turned on a light in my head.

I was not happy.

I didn’t like how people looked at me.

I didn’t like how I would wrinkle up my nose in disgust at my image when I get out the shower, how I didn’t like when my husband touched my flabby baby pouch

I didn’t like how I felt inside about my own body image.

I didn’t like me.

So what are you going to do about it?

I mean I’m 100 lbs over weight and have no money to invest in improving myself. What if I take weight off? I can’t afford to get new clothes? I can’t afford to buy fancy groceries.

Its a lot of I can’ts and they are just excuses. I used them to try to get out of it too.

The reality

Money is an issue for almost everyone. It really can be that factor that can derail an honest to goodness good intention plan. Its sad but its true. Exercise can be done at home and doesn’t have to involve any expensive weights or equipment. However exercise at home requires a strict mindset and commitment which is really hard to do. I suggest that if you cannot go to a gym that you find a buddie in crime. I think it’s better to have a work out friend than a diet friend. If you manage to get a mindset to succeed nothing will derail you faster than your partners failure. I know this from past experiences. So now my friends work out with me here and there but no one is on this journey with me but me. I have one person close to me for this but I know that I can count on her 110% because I honestly think that my success means as much to her as it does to me, that said I do not think this is the norm for most people in this situation.

So to start the journey you first need to dig deep inside yourself and really think about what it is you want from life. Why you really want to take this weight of and what you are willing to do to in order to make it happen.

Think about that a bit and then watch for another post. ALso check out Optimumbodies/blog on my links to the right of my page. Recipes and valued advice (this is my can count on her 110% person)